Category Archives: Recipe Redux

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Oh, hiiiii there! Long, loooong time, no talk. I knew I’d make it back here one of these days. It’s been an interesting and exciting past month around these parts. I’ve happily started to find a groove with my schedule, had a great trip home, spent some time with my favorite little girl [.. and the rest of my family], and spent some QT with the hubs.

Playing piano with my girl.

Learning colors.

Happy to go to an Orioles game with 3 of my favorite people!

During Nathan and my 8 mile hike on Nimitz Trail.

One of my favorite things to do with Nathan is take a walk to the farmers’ market every Saturday. The fruit we’ve been getting lately has been out of this world and I knew I had to put some of it to good use for this month’s Recipe ReDux.

Tucked in a crust, nothing says love from the oven like pie. Whether it’s a twist on the all-American apple pie or a traditional recipe from your home country, give a healthy makeover to your favorite savory or sweet pie recipe.

This dessert came together in just a matter of minutes and is the perfect single-serving size. And the best part? Aside from the peanut butter, of course, is the secret ingredient, chia seeds. They serve as a thickener for the filling and are also a great source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids, protein, nutrients that help support bone health, such as calcium and magnesium. Happy dessert-ing!

Single Serving PB&J Pie Parfait

Serves 1

Ingredients

5 mini or 1 1/2 regular Reese’s Oreos

3/4 tsp coconut oil

1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk

1 tbsp chia seed

1 tbsp peanut butter

2 strawberries; sliced

Directions

In a food processor, combine the cashew milk, chia seed, and peanut butter. Set aside in a small bowl for 1-2 hours and allow to thicken.

After the peanut butter mix has thickened, place the Oreos and coconut oil in a food processor and blend until they come together.

Press 1/3 of the mix into a small glass and top with 1/2 of the peanut butter mixture and 1/2 of the strawberry slices.

Sprinkle another 1/3 of the Oreo mix on top with the other 1/2 of the peanut butter mixture and the other sliced strawberry.

I have a chocolate-y treat for you today that you won’t want to pass up. They’re gluten-free, paleo, and sweetened with fruit! Dried plums, to be specific. But don’t go running!

When was the last time you tried a dried plum? They’re delicious! A little sweet, a little tart, and chewy like candy. Not to mention, each serving is just 100 calories, provides 3g of fiber, 293mg of potassium, 16mg of magnesium, and more vitamin K than any other fresh or dried fruit. And in honor of May’s National Osteoporosis Month, why not give them a try?

Almond Butter STUFFED Brownie Bites

Makes 16 brownie bites

Ingredients

3oz. California Dried Plums [about 12-15 dried plums]

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp milk [I used cashew milk]

2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

2 tbsp coconut oil; melted

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp almomd butter; divided

1 egg

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

For the Frosting

1/4 cup chocolate nut butter*

2-4 tbsp milk

*If you don’t have chocolate nut butter, you can sub regular nut butter and add cocoa powder. You will need to increase the amount of milk if you do this.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place the dried plums in a food processor and process into a paste. You may need to stop and scrape the sides down a few times.

Add the vanilla, milk, applesauce, coconut oil, and 1/4 cup almond butter to the bowl and process until smooth.

Add in the egg and pulse a few times until just incorporated.

Add the remaining dry ingredients to the bowl, pulse a few times to get it started, and finish incorporating completely by hand.

Using a 1/2 tbsp, scoop the mix into 16 mini muffin tins.

With a 1/2 tsp, scoop almond butter on top of the brownie bite base.

Finish off with another 1/2 tbsp of the mix to cover the almond butter and place in the oven for 8-9 minutes.

While baking, make your frosting. Add the ingredients to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir together until smooth.

Remove the bites from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.

Now who wouldn’t want to snack on that today?! And because I can’t make these for my mom today, you should!

Don’t miss out an all of the California Dried Plum recipes from all of the other ReDux-ers!

And, of course, happy mother’s day to my mom! I wish I could be with you today to celebrate how awesome you’ve always been and always are for me. But hey, if you want to come out here again, I have some brownie bites waiting for you!

Food for Thought

Are you a dried plum fan?
How are you celebrating your mother’s day?

Disclosure: I received free samples of California Dried Plums mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by California Dried Plum Board and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Thank you all for your wonderful comments on Monday’s post. As I said, I’m working on figuring out my balance with jobs and life and blogging. I had to post today to share my new protein bar recipe. It’s just too good to keep to myself. So why not jump back on the What I Ate Wednesday bandwagon?

[Pre-Workout]
It was 2 for Tuesday yesterday so rather than my usual energy bites, I whipped up a quick protein pancake with 1 scoop protein powder, 1/4 cup egg whites, and 1/4 cup cashew milk and spread a little almond butter on top. While it held me over pretty well for barre, I decided to pop 1/2 banana before I went over to the gym for some cardio.

[Breakfast]
I KNOW I said you don’t need to see another bowl of oatmeal. But this might have just been the best bowl of oatmeal ever. Or maybe I was just so hungry. Yep. Let’s go with the latter.

[Lunch]
I got the hugest bunches of kale and bag of carrots from the farmers’ market on Saturday. I sauteed a bunch of them up with some sugar snaps, turkey meatballs, and buffalo sauce, topped with avocado, quick-pickled beets, and ketchup. Legit. And so filling.

[Afternoon Snack]
HOLY YUM! I’ve been trying to figure out a good recipe to replace my favorite Quest bars and this month’s Recipe ReDux helped to inspire my bars.

Go through your pantry, cupboards, freezer, or fridge; what ‘treasures’ have you found? Pick an ingredient/spice/condiment that’s been hanging out for a while and give it the attention it needs. Share a healthy recipe made using your new-found pantry prize.

We’re pretty much the worst at ever finishing a jar of preserves so why not throw it into a bar? These are just the right amount of sweet and the best part? No baking! That said, if you do decide to broil or bake these babies, they are pretty reminiscent of a Quest bar. Success!

Directions
In a medium bowl, melt the nut butter. Mix in the protein powder, coconut flour, and water. The amount of water used will depend on your other ingredients so add slowly. Mix these ingredients until everything comes together and is slightly sticky. Add in the white chocolate chips and 1 tbsp raspberry preserves.

Line a loaf pan with saran wrap and press the mixture into the pan. Top the mix with a little more raspberry preserves and place in the freezer for about an hour. Remove from the freezer and cut into 6 equal bars. Wrap each bar separately in saran wrap and store in the freezer.

[Dinner]
We can pretend that my dinner looked half as good as the real deal. In reality, I decided to not toss the balls in buffalo, skip the naan, and used cheddar instead of blue cheese. I think it would have turned out better if the falafel had been tossed in buffalo.. or if they were fried. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

It’s no secret that leftovers are this girl’s best friend. Every night for dinner, I try to make enough to have at least enough leftovers for 2 additional meals, whether those are used for lunch the next day or another dinner. And while I could happily eat the same thing over and over again [hellooo oatmeal for breakfast!], I have a husband that feels differently. Enter this month’s Recipe ReDux that basically describes the way we live.

We’re all about cooking once and eating twice. In short, double dinners are better. Show us how you take a favorite recipe already on your blog – and ReDux the leftovers into a new dish. Or, whip up a new healthy recipe and give suggestions on how to make it a second meal. For example, slow cooker pot roast could become shredded beef tacos; or grilled chicken breasts might morph into chicken salad.

Chicken is on the menu usually at least 5 nights so we have to get creative around here! Our fridge is full of different sauces to easily change things up on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes meals are as simple as grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, and buffalo sauce on a roll. Other times I like to dress it up.

Directions
Prepare your sweet potatoes by either baking them in the oven at 400°F for about 45 minutes or microwave them in a damp papertowel for 3-5 minutes until soft.

Place all of the ingredients for the sauce in a medium bowl and mix well. Place the sweet potato on a plate and mash in 1-2 tbsp of the sauce. Layer up the bell pepper, cucumber, broccoli, cabbage, and chicken on top. Drizzle over more sauce and top with chopped peanuts.

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite way to use leftovers?
Have you tried stuffed sweet potatoes?

I received free samples of Cabot Cheese mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe challenge sponsored by Cabot Creamery and am eligible to win prizes. I was not additionally compensated for my time.

Superbowl Sunday must be one of the biggest snacking days of the year. All of the chips, dips, wings, pizza, beer, and then some.. it’s amazing to see just how many calories people can consume in a short 4-hour game!

As a part of Recipe ReDux, I took on the challenge of creating a lighter snack for the big game. As I thought about what kind of poppables I love to snack on [whether it’s weird or not..], brussels sprouts came to mind. I could eat a whole tray of roasted brussels right out of the oven without giving it a second thought! And cheesy brussels?Oh yes!

I received a shipment of a variety of Cabot Creamery cheeses but knew that I wanted a bold cheddar to stand up to the flavor of the proscuitto and brussels. Seriously Sharp sounds about right, yes?

Proscuitto-Wrapped Cheesy Brussels Sprouts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss the brussels sprouts with EVOO and black pepper, place sliced side down on a sheet pan and into the oven. Roast the brussels for 15-20 minutes until they begin to crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool enough to handle.

Turn the oven down to 350°F. Once cooled, place a small slice of cheese on the sprout and wrap with a slice of proscuitto. Place the wrapped brussels onto a baking wrap on top of the sheet pan. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the proscuitto crisps up.

Remove the brussels sprouts from the oven, skewer with a toothpick, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. If you’d like, add a little more shredded cheese to the top of the brussels sprouts and serve!

One of my favorite things about Recipe ReDux is that it pushes me to come up with something new and different from our usual meals. Smoke and spiciness was the theme of this month’s redux.

The New Year is heating up with smoke and spiciness. From boldly flavored smoked salts to actual smoking techniques, subtly smoked food is on-trend. The same can be said for spice as we savor heat from harissa, sriracha and smoked paprika. Show us the healthy dish you’re heating up with smoke and/or spiciness.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’d probably imagine I’d go for something spicy and sriracha-filled. We do a lot of Asian-inspired dishes here, but I had a pretty serious bacon craving. I figured I’d use that craving and go for smoky and spicy.

Directions
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and toss the chopped bacon into the dry pan. Saute low and slow until it’s nice and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, drain the bacon on a paper towel, spoon half of the bacon fat into a bowl and set aside.

Increase the heat to medium and add the spiralized potato to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until crispy, tossing every few minutes. Once crispy, set the potato aside, add the rest of the bacon fat back to the pan, and toss in the squash. Cook the squash until browned and set aside with the potato.

Increase the heat to medium-high and toss the sliced chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drizzle ~1 tbsp EVOO into the pan and add the chicken [you may need to cook the chicken in 2 batches]. Sear the chicken and set aside with the veggies.

Finally, drizzle the remaining tbsp EVOO in the pan and toss in the shallot, red pepper flake, and minced garlic. Cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and add in the crush tomato and white wine. Cook down for 5-7 minutes and add in all of the veggies, chicken, and bacon [set some bacon aside to sprinkle on top]. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes until everything is warmed through. Plate it up and top with some crumbled bacon, fresh basil, and a little freshly cracked black pepper.

I love cookbooks. Especially when they have wonderful pictures to go with the recipes. Although, I guess that’s why I love food blogs so much too, huh? Unfortunately, since my love affair with food blogs and Pinterest has grown, my cookbook collection has grown a bit of dust. This month’s Recipe Redux made me wipe off that dust and flip through so real pages.

It’s the end of the year and we’ll taking a moment to reflect: ReDux has been around for 42 months! (Can you believe some of you have ReDux-ed 42 recipes?) To celebrate, we’re playing a little party game this month: Grab your nearest cookbook and ReDux the recipe on page 42 or 142. We can’t wait to see the books you’re cooking from these days – and how you make that recipe healthier.

I found my way to this bad boy..

There are some really fun recipes in there, like cashew energy quinoa bites, that I will definitely be trying soon. In the meantime, I was quite pleased when I flipped to page 142.

Even in California, it’s been getting a little chilly lately so I couldn’t wait to make a nice, creamy soup. I had also just picked up a Butterkin Squash from Trader Joe’s that I wanted to break into. Side note: I was telling my mom it tastes like a combo of butternut squash and pumpkin.. and subsequently figured out the name, Butterkin. Genius! She and Nathan were both laughing at me. Anywho, into the pot it went!

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Cut your squash in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with 1 tbsp EVOO and place in the oven. Roast until you can easily scoop the flesh out; about 30 minutes.

Heat a large pot over medium heat and drizzle with the remaining tbsp EVOO. Add in the diced onion and cook 5-7 minutes until translucent. Sprinkle in the red pepper flake and cook another minute until it becomes fragrant. Add in the diced sweet potato, beet, and 3 cups of chicken stock. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sweet potato and beet are tender.

At the point, the squash should be ready to come out of the oven and cool. After the squash has cooled for a couple of minutes, scoop the flesh out and add it to the pot in addition to the quinoa flakes and nutmeg. Using an immersion blender [a regular blender would work as well, in a few batches], blend until the soup is smooth and creamy. If needed, add the 4th cup of chicken stock, but remember you’re also adding beer at the end!

Add salt and pepper to taste and pour in the beer, stirring slowly to incorporate. Scoop out a big bowl and enjoy!

Growing up, on almost a nightly basis, my family would sit down to dinner, someone would say “this is good, mom!” and she would say “thanks, I have no idea what’s in it or what I did so I’ll never be able to make it again. But thanks!” She’s always been very much about throwing everything you have into a pot and making something out of it. Go figure, she has a daughter that likes to follow recipes to a T. When I saw this month’s Recipe Redux theme, I laughed.

In the US, November marks the Thanksgiving holiday. But many of us are especially thankful for food memories we have shared with friends or relatives throughout our lives. Was it a special meal you ate as a child? Or, maybe it was a food you grew and harvested with your own children. Please share one of your favorite food memories and the healthier “redo” of the recipe.

You follow? It was hard to think of something when she never made the same thing twice! Well, seeing as how Thanksgiving is upon us, there’s always one side my mom makes. Cranberry relish is something I started helping her make at a very young age because it’s just that easy and it takes all of about 5 minutes. Of course, we also have the “traditional” cranberry jelly on the table, too. But the relish is the good stuff.. aside from all of the sugar that went into it. Time to redux that recipe!

Quick & Easy Cranberry Relish

DirectionsWash your cranberries [be sure to remove any mushy berries!] and toss in a food processor. Process until the cranberries are a chunky relish consistency. Empty into a bowl and add in the orange zest, juice, pomegranate, and 2 tbsp honey. Taste and add more honey if you want it sweeter.

I recommend making it the day before and letting it sit in the fridge overnight. The flavors really come together more as it sits, but you can, of course, eat it all right away!

Nutritional InformationPer 1/4 cup serving

70 Calories / 0g Fat / 18g Carbs / 12g Sugar / 3g Fiber / 0g Protein

We make tons of relish for our army of a family and it never lasts! I can’t wait to make it again this year. Pop this burst of color on your Thanksgiving table for a delicious twist on the traditional cranberry.

If you’ve followed my recent WIAW posts, you’ve probably noticed that I’m a creature of habit. Oatmeal with nut butters for breakfast?Daily.Salads for lunch?You can count on it. But dinner is where I like to have my fun. Plus, I have a husband to feed and he’s very much not a creature of habit when it comes to his food. That said, he does love his chicken! I thought this month’s recipe redux would be a good one for him.

You know they are lurking there: Way in the back of your spice drawer. There lie the herbs, spices, or rubs that are getting dusty because you’re afraid to use them… you simply don’t know what to do with them! Well, pull them out and show us a recipe you created to deliciously conquer that fearful spice. (Or maybe the recipe was a flop – and the spice still give you nightmares?!)

We bought some herbes de provence over a year ago for a lamb stew and it’s sat in the pantry since then. How could that be bad on a roast chicken?!

I’ll admit, I enlisted Nathan’s assistance for this one; roast chicken is mostly his domain around here. And it’s always fun to cook dinner together.

For the Chicken:Place the chicken pieces on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 425°F and heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken liberally with herbes de provence, garlic powder, and black pepper. When your pan is hot, coat with EVOO and place the chicken in the pan, skin side down. Place the extra pan on top of the chicken, pressing it into the pan. This will really give your chicken a delicious, crispy skin.

Let the chicken sit for about 15 minutes before flipping. The chicken should lift up easily but if the skin is sticking, give it another couple of minutes before trying to flip again. After the chicken is flipped place it in the oven to finish cooking—about 20-25 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, in a small pot, add all of the ingredients for the gastrique. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer; the sauce should thicken up nicely, but keep an eye to be sure it doesn’t get too thick.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes. Plate it up with your sides, drizzle the gastrique, and enjoy!

I served our chicken with smashed gouda potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts. It was the perfect Sunday dinner [with lots of leftovers for the week!]

Hi friends, happy Monday! I think I’m more ok with Monday since we had such a great weekend! To be honest, we’ve hardly been doing anything exciting on the weekends recently so it was nice to shake it up a bit. Friday night we stayed close to home but had a nice little treat.

I worked Saturday morning and then we had a late lunch at Elmwood Cafe.

Love the huge lattes and spiced chicken!

Yesterday was my fave. Nathan texted me while I was at the gym to let me know he had a fun day planned; I couldn’t finish my workout quickly enough and once we breakfasted and got ready, we made our way out to Wente Vineyards. It was such a beautiful day and let’s be honest, wine tasting and a picnic is always a good idea!

My handsome date.

Part of our picnic included a sweet, crunchy treat that I made the other day.. and I’m surprised they lasted as long as they did here! This month’s Recipe Redux gave me the perfect excuse to do something different with my daily apple.

Whether it’s extra garden bounty or a sale at the supermarket – dehydrating food is a budget-friendly way to stock up for later. You can use a food dehydrator, a low slow oven, or natural sunshine to preserve natural healthfulness. Show us how you like to dehydrate, or a healthy recipe for how you enjoy using dehydrated fruits, veggies or other bounty.

Spiralized Cinnamon Apple Chips

DirectionsPreheat your oven to 250°F. Using the B blade on the Paderno, spiralize your apples. Toss the apples with the coconut oil spray, cinnamon, and salt on a lined cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake your apples for about 2 hours, tossing occasionally, until crispy. Remove from the oven, let cool completely, and store in an airtight container.. or eat all of them off the cookie sheet!

These little chips are a little time consuming but so worth the patience and a great work around if you don’t have a dehydrator. Hope you enjoy the crunchies!

Food for Thought

Did you do anything fun over the weekend?
Have you ever tried dehydrating in the oven?